Safety device for fire escapes



0a. 22, 1929. E; BOCCHINQ Re. 17,469 SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIRE ESCAPES I Original Filed Nov. 24, 1926 INVENTO R A 114% 630W ATTORN EY Reissued Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERNEST BOGGHINO, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SAFETY DEVICE m ESCAPE COMPANY,'INC., 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A- CORPORATION p! NEW JERSEY SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIRE ESCAPES Original No. 1,641,798, dated September 6, 1927, Serial No. 150,454, filed November 24, 1928. Application for reissue filed .Tulyfll, 1929. Serial No. 377,544;

This invention relates to fire escapes as applied to dwelling houses, oflice buildings and other plurally storied, peopled structures and e which are subject to fire hazards, the device being a safety device for fire escape.

Such fire escapes usually take the shape of platforms accessible "from the building through windows or equivalent openings and are provided with guard rails at their outer ed es. V

Iieading from the uppermost platform to the next below are steps-or stair-ways andmally at a considerable height from the ground, such raised position also affording unobstructed passage .below the ladder and free use of the surface below.

This implies that the ladder, when in a raised position, must be securely supported to prevent accident and on-the other hand it is clearly evident that the ladder must be so mounted as to descendand become instantly available when its use is required.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a ladder with a counter-balance nearly equal to the weight of the ladder and means'to carry the excess weight of the ladder i when raised, such means being disengageable at will. It is a further feature to provide a'cateh cooperative between the ladder for supporting the excess weight of the ladder, the catch being easily isplaceable by pressing the ladder sidewise.

- Another aim is in the provision of one or more guides for the counterweight whereby it is positively directed to 'its seat upon a ri id catcher incase the flexible connection etween the weight andladder should break.

These and other important objects are accomplished by the novel and practical eonstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompany ing drawing in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofa conand platform ventional fire escape landin including a lad der supported by an embo iment of the invention.

Figure 2 isa front elevational view of the same. 1

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an ad ustable clip in detail.

Figure 4 1s atransverse sectional view of a ladder side havingan attached clip.

In the drawing the numeral 10 generally. designatesa conventional fire 'esca e plat+ form having an open end 11, the lat orm beporting brackets 13. 7

Fixed above the fire escape, is a bracket 14 carrying a shaft 15 on which is rotatably ing fixed to the wall 12 of a buil g by sup-' mounted a sheave or grooved pulley 16 over" which is trained acable 17 secured at one end to a U-shaped support 18 provided with hooks 15(9) engageable with the upper ends of a ladder 2 The ladder extends downwardly past the V opening 11 and is ided by a transverse 21 fixed to the plat orm 10'.

Fixed preferably on oneof the sides of the ladder as by set screws 22 is a channel-shaped support 23. having a ro ecting catch orclip 24 provided with a chamfered surface or cam face 25 engageablewith some fixed part of the platform, as one of the flooring member's lO,

thus normally supporting the ladder 20.

The free end of the cable 17 is provided with a ring 26h fixed to a weight 27 normally resting on a support which'may'preferably be in the-form oi? a catcher 28 secured to the fire escape 10 or the adjacent wall 12 or otherwise.

Extendin from the sides of the bracket 14 is a pair of ugs 29 to which are fixed one or more rods or guide bars 30' engageable with projections 31 oppositely disposed on the weight 27 the free ends of the'vertical guide elements 30 being attached to the bracket 28, 7 so that the weight may be easily guided thereon when moved a vertical plane.

The support 23 may be adjusted so that when the weight 27 is resting on the catcher 28, the catch 24 will just engage and rest over the frame of the latform;

It is obvious that w on it becomes necessary to use the ladder, it is merely required to move the same in the direction 2) -causing the catch 24 The ladder may then of the arrow (Figure to clear the platform. be pulled downwardly against the weight 27, and' a person may use it in making exit from the platform.

From the foregoing, it'may be seenthat a safety device for ladders has been disclosed, in which an easily disengageable catch supports the surplus weight of a counterbalanced ladder.

. It will be clearly apparent that the form of the guide elements may be varied in number, cross section, length and manner of attachment without affecting their function in any material manner which is to surely guide the weight to its seat upon a catcher, which may or may not be provided with upstanding side members as preferred. I

It is further to be noted that the cli s may be reversed in position and carried y the platform to engage the ladder, the operation and function being the same and no exercise of invention being displayed in such rearrangement of parts.

Therefore as changes of construction could be made within the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanylng drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a fire escape plat form and a ladder movable vertically at one end of the platform, of means to guide said ladder, means for counterbalancing the eater portion of the weight of said laddgr, and a catch adjustably carried by said ladder to support the excess weight thereof, said catch normally engagin one of the platform elements to be displace therefrom upon exerting lateral pressure on said ladder.

2. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically at one end of the platform, of means to guide said ladder, an arcuate loop at the top of said ladder, a sheave wheel, a cable trained over said wheel one end of said cable being attached to said loop, a counter-Wei ht attached to the other end of the cable, a xed bracket to receive saidcounter-weight, and a catch adjustably fixed. on said ladder to engage said platform, said catch being disengaged from said platform by lateral pressure.

3. In combination with a fire escape plat form and a ladder movable vertically at one end of the latform, a guide on said platfrom for said la der, a catcher supported adjacent said platform, a weight receivable in said catcher, a grooved wheel fixed above said platform, a cable trained over said wheel connecting said ladder and weight,.mea-ns for guiding said weight relative to the catcher;

and a catch adjustably fixed on said ladder to engage said plat-form, said catch being disengaged from said platform by shift-ing the ladder laterally.

4. A fire escape ladder adapted for ver tical movement comprising in combination with a fire escape platform, a pair of sides connected by rungs, a counter weight to nearly balance said ladder, a catcher to normally contain said weight, a cable attached to said ladder and weight at its respective ends, a bracket fixed above the fire escape ladder, lateral arms on said bracket, a sheave revoluble in said bracket over which said cable is trained, rods fixed to said catcher and arms, means carried by said weight to engage said rods to be guided thereby and a catch controlling the descent of said ladder, said catch being displaceable from the platform upon shifting the ladder laterally.

5. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically relative to the platform, of a bar enclosing and guiding said ladder, means for counterbalancing the greater portion of the weight of said ladder, and a catch intermediate the length of the -ladder to support the excess weight thereof, said catch normally engaging one of the platform elements to be displaced theerfrom upon exerting lateral pressure on said ladder.

6. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically relative to the platform, of a single means fixed to extend in front of and to guide said ladder, a counter-weight, a sheave wheel, a cable trained over said 'wheel andattached at its end respectively to said ladder and counterweight, a catcher fixed to a support, adjacent and independent of said platform to receive said counter-weight, means for guiding the counter-weight thereon, and means to normally retain said ladder in a raised position, sald means being displaceable by lateral pressure applied to the ladder.

7. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically relative to the platform, a guide on said platform for said ladder, said guide retaining the ladder against the platform, and permitting it to move limitedly sidewise, a counterbal ance for the ladder, an independent rigid support to receive said counterbalance, means for positively guiding said counterbalance thereon, and a catch intervening the platform and ladder disengageable by shifting the ladder laterally.

8. In combination with afire escape platform having a vertically slidable ladder provided with a art-ial counterbalance, of means to engage sai ladder intermediate its len h to sustain its excess weight, sald means ecoming disengaged by moving the ladder sidewise.

9. In combination with'a fire escape platform having a vertically slidable ladder provided with a partial counterbalance, of a sin- 1e bar exten mg across the front of the lader to guide the same as it is moved up and down, said bar permittin limited edgewise movement of the ladder displaceable means to sustain the excess weight of the ladder, said means being engaged midway the length thereof, a rigid catcher to receive the counterbalance, and means to guide the counterbalance while raising and lowering.

10. In combination with a fire escape platform having an enclosing fence provided with an opening and a ladder slidable in a vertical plane past the 0 ening at one end of the fence, said ladder ing provided with a art-ial weight balancing means, of means or guiding the ladder, unitary means to sustain the excess weight'of said ladder whereby it is retained in a normally raised position at the fence opening, said means being releasable upon-moving the ladder laterally,

means to positively guide said weight balancing means in a vertical path, and means independent of said platform to catch said weight balancing means to limit its descent.

whereof I aflix my si ature.

In testimony ERNEST BOCC INO. 

